Lifeline
by turquoise.seas
Summary: -FAX- Final chapter! He hastily turned my face toward his, his dark eyes regarding my half-open ones anxiously. “Max…” I heard no more, because my eyelids fluttered shut, and I fell to the sand. Faxness is finally here!
1. Chapter 1

Hey again! I found this the other day - realized that I had written it a few years ago and thought that I should do something with it! This will be a chapter story - it's finished, but I'm going to do it in segments anyway. Apologies for the slightly amature-ish plot.. like I said - I wrote it a couple years ago.So if it's bad, not my fault. Haha.

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**Lifeline - Chapter 1**

"Max! Maaaax!"

"Maybe we should let her sleep, Gazzy."

"Nah."

I gasped and sat up straight, soaked with freezing water.

"See?" Fang smirked down at me as he tossed aside the now empty cooking pot. The others were standing in a semicircle around me.

"She's awake."

"I am NOW." I grumbled, standing up and shaking some stray droplets off of my nose.

"What time is it anyway?" Fang glanced down at his amazingly still working watch. He grinned at me, shaking his dark hair out of his eyes.

"Eight thirty."

"Eight thirty? Why didn't you wake me up earlier? We could have been attacked by Erasers, or kidnapped, or-"

"Max." Iggy grabbed my shoulders and shook me. "Shut up." I looked around and realized that Gazzy, Angel, and Nudge were all staring at me with their mouths hanging open, Iggy was laughing, his blind eyes staring straight ahead, and Fang…well, Fang was smirking as only Fang can smirk.

I heaved a sigh and closed my mouth. "Right. Well, since you're all up, we could always break camp early and –"

"NO!"

I grinned to myself as the younger kids and Iggy fled shouting to the camp, with Gazzy leading Iggy. Well, more accurately, they ran to the water. South Carolina beaches can do that to you. I turned back to Fang who was leaning leisurely against a tree, his dark eyes following the others. I stretched, wringing out my hair and shivering as I spread my wings out and shook them.

"Thanks for the lovely awakening this morning. A shake would have done fine, you know."

A corner of Fang's mouth twitched like he was going to smile, but he just shrugged.

"More fun."

I glared wryly at him, struggling in vain to wring out my sopping wet blanket.

"Well, if it's alright with you, I'm going to go dry out in the sun."

I stalked past him, my shoes gushing. I sat down in a huff on the beach, realizing that I had missed breakfast.

I smiled to myself as I looked out at the rest of the flock playing in the water. Iggy was standing up, hands out with a confused expression in his sightless eyes. Gazzy, Angel, and Nudge were swimming in circles around him and splashing him.

I glanced up as a shadow blocked out the warm sun. Fang sat down next to me, and handed me a plate.

"Here, I saved some for you."

"My hero." I sighed, digging into the food. I have no idea where Iggy got eggs, but I'm not about to complain.

Angel ran up the sand, and skidded to a stop before us.

"Max, will you come play in the water with us?"

"In a little bit, Angel."

After she had scampered back into the water, I set my plate beside me and lay back in the warm sand with my eyes closed. After a while, I felt Fang watching me and cracked open my eyes.

"What?" He didn't say anything, but his dark eyes flickered just the slightest bit towards my forearm. I glanced down and saw the scar.

A few months before, I had tried to saw the microchip out of my arm using a broken seashell, and had nearly killed myself. I had scared the whole flock, but mostly Fang. I glanced back up, and met his dark brown eyes.

"It's OK, Fang, I'm not doing that again."

Fang stared at me for a moment wordlessly, and I saw the knot of muscle protruding from his jaw. Finally, he relaxed slightly and he lay down beside me with his hands under his head.

"Max! Come on!"

I stood up with a sigh and walked down to the edge of the water.

"OK, Nudge. I suppose I can't get any more wet than I already am!" I laughed, with a pointed look at Fang. He cracked his eyes open lazily and the ghost of a grin flickered across his lips.

I waded in, only to be tackled by Gazzy and Angel. I came up, spluttering, and grabbed one in each arm. I spun them around and ducked back underwater, taking them with me. When I surfaced again, I saw that Iggy had Nudge in a headlock (who was laughing hysterically) and was about to dunk her.

"Hey, Iggy!"

I tackled him, pulling him into the same position that he had moments before been inflicting on Nudge. He protested, spluttering when he got a mouthful of water.

"Don't," I said, punctuating each word with a dunk, "pick – on – poor – defenseless – kids!"

Suddenly, Iggy was pulled away from me, and I was pulled up against a hard chest.

"Same goes for you, Max."

I laughed, getting a mouthful of water as Fang grabbed me around the waist and tossed me into the water.

I came up just in time to see Gazzy, Angel, Nudge, and Iggy tackle Fang, who went underwater with a grunt. He came up, shaking his wet hair out of his eyes, only to be shoved back under by me. This time, when he stood up, he glared at me in the way that clearly says, "You'd better run." I complied, tearing out of the water and down the beach as fast as my legs could carry me, laughing aloud.

Fang was right on my heels, his bare feet pounding on the sand as he ran effortlessly after me. I spread my soaked wings, letting the cool ocean breeze blow them dry. I glanced back and saw that Fang had done the same thing. He was grinning as his damp hair whipped around his face. The wind would catch my wings, lifting me off the ground for a second, then I would run again. A huge shadow enveloped me, and I glanced up to see Fang flying a few feet above me, his dark wings pumping powerfully.

I dropped back a few feet, then pumped my wings hard, joining him in the air. With an unspoken agreement, we turned and headed back to where the flock was waiting for us. Fang flew close beside me, so that our feathers brushed each other. With some dismay, I noticed that there were dark clouds on the horizon, which signaled that a storm might be on its way. I rubbed my temples gently, sighing. I hadn't had a headache in a while, I figured that with the voice gone, they would leave me too.

Fang, of course, noticed the gesture, and brushed my wings with his.

"What's up? Headache?"

I shook my head, forcing my hands back down to my sides.

"Nope."

He looked at me in uncertainty for a moment, then shook his head and looked forward again.

Of course, that had to be when I had a brain attack.

I grabbed my head, and angled my wings toward the sand. I squeezed my eyes tightly shut so that I could retain at least some of my dignity. I hit the ground hard, stumbling a few steps before I fell to my knees. It felt like my brain was being sawed in half. I vaguely heard the sound of skidding feet, and then Fang dropped to his knees beside me. He hastily turned my face toward his, his dark eyes regarding my half-open ones anxiously.

"Max…"

I heard no more, because my eyelids fluttered shut, and I fell to the sand.

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Ooh, cliffhanger. Haha. Pretty soon I'll put the next chapter up! I don't even care if people don't like this one - I'm putting it up anyway! Review! 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two!

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**Lifeline: Chapter 2**

I woke up to the sounds of a thunderstorm, but the only place that I felt wet was on my forehead where beads of sweat coated my brow. I saw a dark figure sitting motionlessly beside me.

"Fang?" I murmured sleepily.

The figure stirred, and Fang pulled himself over till he was leaning over me. "Hey."

"Hey," I croaked back.

Fang's eyes were searching my face for signs of pain. I tried to sit up, but gave up. My head slammed back into the stone floor, and I grimaced.

"Ow."

I sat up more carefully, gingerly holding my head. Fang sat next to me, and handed me a cup of water.

"Thanks." I sipped at the water, relishing the feel of it slipping down my throat. The rest of the flock was huddled toward the entrance of the cave that we were sitting in, whispering together.

We sat in silence for a while, staring out into the pouring rain. Uncharacteristically, it was Fang who broke the quiet.

"Is it the voice again?"

I laughed humorlessly. "No, thank goodness."

"Then what was it?"

"I have no idea." I mused. "What do you think-"

I broke off quickly as Angel's head snapped up in front of us.

"Max. Fang. Erasers."

I jumped up, stuffing my things into my backpack with a groan. "Why must those stupid Erasers follow us everywhere…" I muttered to myself irritably.

"OK, flock. Pack as fast as you can, then U and A, head east." I ran to the entrance of the cave, then turned back to face the flock.

"Come on, guys!"

Suddenly a huge, powerful arm wrapped around my neck, and I was pulled back. "What's the matter, Max? Not happy to see us?"

A rough voice grated next to my ear. I pulled on the huge arm, trying to loosen its grip.

"Ari." I snarled.

I looked out at the rest of the flock. They were standing immobile, staring stricken at me. Gazzy and Angel were clinging to each other, Nudge was whispering to Iggy, and Fang was staring at me with a caged look in his eyes. I stared back, totally at a loss for what to do.

"What do you want, Ari?" I finally asked.

"For you to come back to the School with me."

"No freaking way is that going to happen." I said, stamping on his foot and elbowing him in the gut.

I saw Nudge smile and the corner of Fang's mouth twitched, but other than that none of the flock moved. Ari responded by clenching his arm tighter around my neck, making me gasp and pull weakly on his arms again. Iggy, hearing my gasp, jerked forward before Nudge pulled him back. Fang looked like he had the same idea. He advanced slowly, his eyes almost black with fury.

"Why don't you just leave, Ari? Max will never go with you."

Ari grinned sardonically.

"Oh yes she will."

Fang snarled, "Oh no she won't!"

He ran forward, ripping Ari's arm from around my throat. I collapsed to the ground, hands to my bruised throat, sucking in air. Nudge darted in with Iggy and helped me up, pulling me to the back to where Gazzy and Angel were waiting. I looked back for Fang, where he was fighting Ari. They were evenly matched, but Fang had anger on his side.

"Stupid… freaking… Erasers." he growled, kicking Ari solidly in the temple, making his head snap to the side. Ari, recovering quickly, ducked down and landed a heavy punch to Fang's stomach.

Fang's breath whooshed out, but he popped back up and clapped his hands over Ari's eardrums. With a hard side kick to Ari's ribs, he stepped back to catch his breath. I turned back to the others.

"Max, I have an idea." Iggy whispered.

"Does it involve bombs?" I asked, glancing anxiously back at Fang.

"Um, yeah." He said sheepishly.

"Good."

Iggy grinned at me, then pulled some sort of an explosive from his bag.

"Ready Gazzy?"

"Ready."

"Guys, wait until I give the signal. We don't want to blow up anyone who shouldn't be blown up."

"Yessir, Captain," Iggy whispered back.

I ran lightly to the entrance of the cave, where Fang and Ari were still attempting to knock each other's blocks off. Fang took a hard slam into the wall, but he retaliated by cocking his fist and slamming Ari powerfully on the side of his head. He stepped back again while Ari shook his head dizzily. He glanced over at me, residues of his fury still showing.

"You OK?" he asked.

"Yeah, just peachy."

He flashed a rare grin at me, and then we both focused on Ari, who was recovering his balance.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"I think I can stand to part with the grimy bed I was so looking forward to."

Fang grinned.

"OK, Iggy, let's blow this joint!" I yelled, never taking my eyes off of Ari.

Ari charged us, but we were ready for him. I skipped out of the way as Fang crouched down. He leaped at Ari, shoving him backward toward me with a grunt. As Ari spun into me, I met him with a strong double punch to the temples. He collapsed on the floor with a grunt. Just then, a huge explosion rocked the entire cave, sending debris raining down on us. Fang and I crouched down with our hands over our heads. When the explosion died down, I jumped up and ran coughing for the flock, followed closely by Fang. Once the dust cleared enough to see, I saw the flock huddled in the back, under a small hole in the ceiling, and I realized that the thunderstorm had stopped.

"OK, Iggy, you go out first!"

There wasn't enough room in the cave to spread his wings, so Iggy grabbed the outside edge of the hole and hoisted himself up. He reached down, and motioned for someone else to come up.

"Angel."

I grabbed her around the waist and swung her up to Iggy, followed by Gazzy. Nudge went after Gazzy, then I motioned for Fang to go up. He shook his head at me.

"No, Max."

"Fang," I began exasperatedly, but he cut me off.

"No, Max. I'll be fine."

I rolled my eyes at him, and reluctantly pulled myself through the hole.

I turned back down, and called to Fang.

"Fang, come on!"

He jumped up and caught the edge of the opening in his hands, and was pulling himself up when a huge hairy hand caught his ankle. He grimaced, and kicked back hard with his other booted foot. I heard a grunt, but Ari didn't let go. He kicked back again, and this time Ari let go. Fang quickly pulled himself up with his strong arms, and brushed his black shirt off. I shook my head, then turned back to the flock. "Come on, guys. Head east."

They nodded, and took off one by one, with me following.

Once we were safely away, I called out, rummaging in my bag.

"Report, flock. Gazzy?"

"Good to go!"

"Nudge?"

"Check."

"Angel?"

She sniffed. "My finger hurts, but I'll be OK."

I smiled and flew over to her, and kissed her cut finger, making her giggle.

"OK, Iggy?"

"Nose." Iggy said thickly through the blood running down his face.

"Jeez, Iggy. What did you do, run into a wall?" I asked, coasting over to him and beginning to work on his nose. He grinned.

"Almost. The wall ran into me."

Ah. The explosion.

"By the way, Iggs, nice work with the bomb in there. Way to be!" I said, slapping him a high five.

"Fang."

"Fine."

I examined him closely; he looked slightly off balance. Not enough for anyone else to see, but I knew him better than anyone.

"You sure Ari didn't get a lucky swipe?"

He glared dryly at me, then shook his head, looking resigned.

"Ankle."

I made one of the snap decisions that I'm known for, yelling, "Guys, forest at one o'clock. We'll stop there for the night."

I winced, rubbing my bruised throat unobtrusively, hoping that nobody noticed me. Ari had been none too gentle. I tilted my wings, coasting down a little ways away from the spot I had chosen. I flared my wings, running a few steps before stopping.

"OK, Gazzy, Angel, unpack over at camp. Nudge, Iggy, firewood. Fang, you stay here."

I raised my hand to cut off his protests.

"I want to take a look at your foot."

He glared knowingly at me, and I knew he had seen my holding my bruised throat. The others scampered off to complete their tasks, and Fang turned his back on me. "Come on, Fang," I said, striding over to him. "You can't hide it forever."

I grabbed his shoulder spun him around, shoving him to make him sit down. He did, reluctantly, and pulled his left boot off. I sighed and sat down cross-legged in front of him, pulling out the antiseptic and bandages.

I couldn't help it: when he peeled down his sock, I gasped and closed my eyes for a minute. Ari's claws had raked deep gouges in his ankle, even through his socks and boots. When I opened my eyes again, he was looking concernedly at me. I laughed humorlessly at this, he was the one with the bloody ankle, and he was worried about me. Ironic, no?

I grabbed the bandages, and wiped off as much of the blood as I could. I bandaged it up the best I knew how, grumbling the entire time.

"This is my fault. If I wouldn't have gone next, you wouldn't be hurt."

He frowned, looking puzzled.

"Would you rather be the one sitting here while I bandaged you?" He said sarcastically, thinking he knew the answer.

Yes, I answered mentally, thinking it would probably be best it he didn't hear that little thought.

"Shut up and hold still." I muttered, jerking savagely on the bandages. He leaned back, and his dark eyes tightened.

"Max, I can do that."

I sat back as well, and snapped, "What, I'm not good enough?"

"No, I figured you should get some rest. It can't hurt, with your throat and all."

I lowered my eyes, ashamed by his thoughtfulness. I slowly sat forward and more gently finished wrapping his foot. When I was done, he pulled on his boot and stood up.

"I'm sorry, Fang." I muttered quietly. He looked down at me for a minute.

"I've got first watch."

Hearing this from anyone else, I would have taken it as a blow off, but from Fang, it meant that we were OK. I nodded, and stood up to help Nudge, who was staggering into camp with an armload of firewood.

"Nudge, you go to camp with Fang. I'm going to help Iggy with the wood."

I trudged out into the woods, picking up pieces of dry wood. After a bit, when my arms were full, I set the wood down and slid down the trunk of a tree, coming to rest on the ground. I put my head in my hands, allowing myself a rare moment of peace to stop and think. My mind was drifting, and I wasn't sure how long I had been out there when I heard someone calling my name.

"Max?"

I stood up, grabbing my wood and glancing pointlessly at my wrist for the nonexistent watch.

"Crap. Over here, Iggy."

He walked over to me, and almost ran into a tree.

"Whoa, Max?"

I brushed his arm so that he knew where I was and started back to camp with him.

"What's up, Iggy? How long was I out there?"

He grinned, his hand hovering near my elbow so that he knew where to go. "Oh, about a half hour. Fang was about to have an aneurysm."

I sighed, that meant I was going to be getting a lecture pretty soon. I rubbed my temples; the headache was coming back. I felt a dull ache building up behind my forehead, and my eyes widened. "Crap. Iggy, get Fang. Now!" I gritted.

Pain seared through my temples, and I dropped to my knees. Clutching my head, I let out a strangled groan. I heard Iggy exclaim in surprise and helplessness, then call urgently for Fang. Ahead I heard footsteps crashing through the underbrush, and then I was gathered into a pair of wiry arms.

"Fang…."

"Max, shut up."

I dimly felt him picking me up, and running back toward camp. That can't be good for his ankle. I thought hazily. Then, I heard the sounds of my worst nightmare coming true.

_Hello, Maximum._

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Heh. No resolving anything with me, is there? Remember how I said that I wrote this a long time ago? Well, I very much so enjoyed torturing Fang. Still do, matter of fact. :) So I always hurt Max and make him worry. Haha. Review!_  
_


	3. Chapter 3

Dun dun dun... Guess who's back.. back again.. :)

Hey!

You know, I reallly love people. They are just awesome. Especially people who say nice things. They, my dear friends, are the reason I'm posting this story even though.. yeah, I've complained enough about it. -.-

You can all consider yourself virtually hugged if you reviewed/review. :)

P.S - Hey, if you need a faxy oneshot fic to read - my friend just got an account, and she just wrote a good one! So it's called "Will You Dance?" by Isabella Bordalini. Reviews will be appreciated greatly by her. (She practically had a heart attack because she's on a fav list. :) I love you, darlin'!

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My eyes flew open, and I sat up straight with a gasp.

"Max!" I heard Angel exclaim, then she ran over to me.

"Do you feel better?" she asked sweetly, holding my hand with her smaller one.

I automatically surveyed my surroundings: we were in the campsite in the woods, the sun was coming up, and I was laid on a hasty bed of blankets. Iggy had apparently gotten a fire started, and the rest of the flock was lounging around it.

"I'm fine, Angel." I said reassuringly. She grinned angelically and threw her arms around my neck.

"Angel, why don't we give Max some space?"

I looked up and saw Fang rising from the opposite side of the fire. I looked at him, bewildered as to what had happened. Angel scurried over to her brother's side, falling asleep almost immediately.

I chuckled dryly. "I guess she was tired."

Fang came over and sat next to me. "She didn't get much sleep last night." He looked pointedly at me. "None of us did."

I flushed, then asked, "Fang, what happened to me?"

He suddenly looked wary. "You had another brain explosion. I heard Iggy calling, and I found you crumpled on the forest floor, looking like you had seen a ghost."

I frowned in thought, then suddenly realization dawned on me. "Fang…I heard-."

_Maximum._

I think I physically jumped. _**What? **_I screamed mentally.

_Yes, I'm back. Did you miss me?_

_**Of **_**course**_**, Daddy dearest**_, I said snidely, _**what do you want this time?**_ _**Space travel? I'm warning you, I get airsick.**_

_Max, you have to save the world!_

My frustration had no limits. **_I DID! I already saved the world!_**

Of course, then the voice was silent.

I became aware of Fang kneeling in front of me, waiting anxiously for me to focus again. I looked dazedly at him.

"What?"

He sighed in relief, and sat back on his heels.

"You spaced." He said simply, waiting for an explanation. I could tell he wanted an answer _now_, and he wasn't going to rest until he got one.

Unfortunately for him, I wasn't ready to give one. Not yet.

"Oh."

He just looked at me, hands on his knees.

"Well, we'd better go get some sleep," I muttered, slightly unnerved. I stood up, and brushed my jeans off nervously. I could tell that he was upset with me, but he just stood up, shoving his hands in his pockets. I sat down next to Gazzy and smoothed his hair absently. Fang was still standing where I had left him, his dark eyes watching me from his shadowed face.

"Max, what were you going to say earlier?"

I looked at him for a long time, then sighed and looked away, knowing that I could never keep something this important from him.

"I heard the voice again, Fang."

I saw his eyes widen, and he was next to me in a second. He dropped to his knees, and asked me worriedly, "Is that why you weren't listening to me earlier?" I nodded, feeling hopeless. No matter what I did, I couldn't get away from my destiny. Fang apparently picked up on my pessimism, because he sighed and looked away.

"What did it say?" He asked quietly.

"It said I needed to save the world."

Fang looked back at me in shock. "What about Itex?"

I dropped my head into my arms, muffling my voice. "Apparently that wasn't it."

I knew he felt bad for me in a Fang kind of way, but I just needed to think for a while.

"Let me rebandage your foot," I changed the subject.

He snorted. "Don't waste the bandages."

"Whatever. Just don't come to me when it gets infected," I grumbled. "Go get some sleep, Fang. I'll hold down the fort here."

"No. I got first watch." He said stubbornly.

"Fang, go to sleep before I knock you out," I stated firmly, totally serious. He made a face at me before lying down on my other side, a few feet away. I shuffled the logs in the fire around a little bit, then settled back against a tree. I could tell Fang wasn't asleep yet, and he called out softly a few minutes later, "Max?"

"Mhmm?"

"Wake me or Iggs for watch."

"Fine."

He grunted in satisfaction before rolling over with his back to me. In a few minutes, his steady breathing told me he was asleep.

* * *

I stood stiffly and put some more wood on the fire. Pulling my thin windbreaker more firmly around me, I yawned and stepped over Fang to where Iggy was sleeping next to Nudge. I shook him gently, and whispered, "Iggy, your watch."

He nodded sleepily and sat up. Rubbing his eyes, he yawned and said blearily, "Jeez, Max, how many watches did you take?"

I rolled my eyes; sitting back down against the tree and pulling my windbreaker over me like a blanket.

"Two."

He shook his head. "Fang's gonna kill you!" (We customarily had three 2 and a half-hour watches.)

I looked over; Fang was out like a light, one arm over his eyes and the other tucked neatly in against his body.

"Oh well," I whispered. "You guys needed sleep."

Iggy's head swiveled like he was actually looking around the clearing. "So do you, Max. Now go to sleep before I knock you out."

I grinned drowsily at him. "I've taught you well, Iggs."

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Now, let's all say thank you for not having a major cliffie again. Next chapter probably will again, haha. There's just no good way to end these things!!

Over and out.


	4. Chapter 4

Good morning! Have another chapter...with a cliffhanger. But you'll read it anyway, because you can't resist:D

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**Lifeline: Chapter 4**

I woke up the next morning to a beautiful fall day, but it was ruined by the crick in my neck from where I had slept against the tree. I stood up tiredly and stretched, looking around the campsite. Fang, Angel, Gazzy, and Nudge were all sleeping, and Iggy was drowsing by the burnt out fire. I wasn't worried about him though, at the slightest sound he was up and alert. Proving my point, Iggy shot upright, and whispered, "Who's there?"

"It's me, Iggy."

He relaxed and stood up to help me restart the fire. Our hushed voices apparently woke Fang, and he sat up with a jerk.

"Max?" he asked huskily, his voice thick from sleep. I looked idly over at him. "Morning, Fang."

"Why didn't you wake me for watch?" he asked, standing up and rubbing his eyes.

"I woke Iggy."

He just gave me a hard look, and I knew I was going to get it later.

_Too bad._

In a few minutes, I began affectionately kicking the rest of the flock awake.

"Up and at 'em, guys. Long day ahead of us!" Iggy glanced over at me.

"Really? Where are we going?"

"Um, well, I thought we'd-"

_Arizona_. The Voice broke in. I jumped; I still wasn't used to it being back.

"Max?" Nudge called.

I snapped out of my daze, stammering, "Oh, right. Well, I thought we'd go to Arizona."

Gazzy, Angel, and Nudge exchanged high fives, then Gazzy turned to me with a perplexed looked on his face. "Where's Ari-zona?"

I chuckled, ruffling his hair as I walked past him to our bags. "It's Arizona, Gazzy, and it's down in the southwestern part of the U.S."

Gazzy still looked confused, and I shook my head. If the poor kid doesn't know where Arizona is, that's a sign of how totally whacked we really are.

* * *

We flew in formation with me in the front, followed by Gazzy and Angel, then Iggy and Nudge, and Fang bringing up the rear. Fang had been quiet all morning, and I knew it was because of me taking watch last night. Oh well, he'd get over it eventually. By this time, we had crossed the border into Arizona, and it was starting to get hot, hot, hot. I wiped the sweat off of my forehead, quickly shedding my sweatshirt and stuffing it into my backpack.

I saw a town approaching quickly and called, "Gazzy, Angel, Nudge, Iggy, Fang, land! We need supplies."

I swooped down toward the ground, quickly noting the dark clouds forming on the horizon. As my feet touched the desert-like ground, I stumbled, and fell forward. I shot my hands out in front of me with a surprised exclamation, then hit the ground hard. I yelped in pain, rolling onto my side and grabbing my hand.

"Max, are you OK?" Iggy, not seeing what had happened (obviously) asked anxiously.

"I'm fine," I said absently as I stared at my hand. "Hey Fang, c'mere."

He came over immediately, noticing my anxious expression. I wordlessly showed him my bloody palm, and he sucked in a breath. With his rough hands he reached out and gently pulled out the object that was sticking in my hand. He eyed it carefully for a moment, then threw the bloody thing away.

"Eraser tooth," he spat grimly, washing my hand off and binding it tightly with a strip of cloth. I got to my feet and turned back to the shocked flock.

"Keep on your toes, guys."

They all nodded, and I turned to Fang. "You're in charge. I'm going for food. Angel, want to come with me?"

She nodded, and then Fang called to my retreating back, "Get some bandages, will ya? Be careful."

I chuckled at that, shaking my head. "He's gonna be a good leader someday, won't he Angel?"

She looked anxiously up at me. "No."

I almost laughed out loud until she elaborated. "He won't have to be. You're our leader! Right, Max?"

I looked down at her pleading face and ruffled her hair. "Of course, baby. Come on, the wind's starting to pick up." We hurried to begin the long walk to town.

In the first department store Angel and I came to, I was looking at bandages when I heard a man talking to a woman close by. "We'd better hurry on home, dear, that windstorm could hit at any time."

I glanced at Angel quickly, and frightened blue eyes peered back up at me. I wordlessly pulled a few items off the shelf, and hurried to the checkout. Angel and I were just finishing stuffing the bandages into my backpack (that was all we had had time to get) when a huge wailing noise arose and the lights in the store began to flicker.

"The flock!"

I grabbed Angel's hand and ran out the door into the swirling sand and wind. I dashed headlong into the wind, even though it was getting increasingly harder to see and breathe. We finally reached the spot where I thought we had left the flock, but no one was there. I looked around frantically searching for any sign of life. Angel was crying and clinging to my leg so I scooped her up in my arms, calling desperately, "Fang! Iggy! Gazzy! Nudge!"

The only thing I could hear in response was Angel wailing and the wind howling. The scorching desert heat was multiplied by a thousand with the burning winds, and my hair was whipping around my face and stinging my eyes. I buried Angel's head in my neck to protect her from the swirling winds, staggering forward in a vain attempt to find my flock; my family.

* * *

As soon as Fang heard the wind starting to pick up, he wisely started getting the flock ready to go. He waited until they couldn't wait any longer, and then turned to the flock.

"Guys, we'll head into town to wait for Max and Angel."

Iggy and Nudge nodded and headed toward the town, heads down into the wind. Gazzy, being the smallest next to Angel, was having a hard time walking against the wind, so Fang subtly walked up in front of him to block the wind. He heard Gazzy sigh in relief, and hook his fingers through Fang's belt loop. Fang scanned the sandy wind one last time, looking for Max. Where is she?

* * *

I clasped my arms tightly around Angel, who had stopped crying and was limp in my arms. I didn't dare stop to check on her, though, I was afraid that if I stopped I could never start again. Still, I kept calling the names of my flock over and over like a prayer, though my throat was hoarse and raspy from sand.

"Fang, Iggy, Gazzy, Nudge, Fang, Iggy, Gazzy, Nudge, Fang, Iggy, Gazzy, Nudge…"

Fang dropped his backpack on the cement floor and turned to the flock. They had found an empty warehouse, and had forced the door. Fang looked at them, and they looked back at him. He racked his brain for what Max would do. "Check in. Iggy?"

"Fine."

"Gazzy?"

"Good."

"An-" Fang cut himself off hastily, remembering his mistake. He cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Um, Nudge?"

"Yeah." Nudge choked out, trying not to cry. Gazzy looked dangerously close as well, and Iggy's pale face was set in stone.

"Max will be fine, guys." Fang said quietly. He hunted around until he found a piece of rope, tied it around his waist, and tossed the other end to Nudge.

"Tie this to something or hold onto it. Don't let it slip."

After she nodded, Fang slipped out the door into the howling winds to search for their leader.

* * *

I didn't know how long Angel and I had been out in the storm, but I realized that the winds were finally dying down. I had been staggering step after step, onward, looking for my missing family. My voice had eventually given out, and I could no longer feel my arms that were locked around Angel. Her blond head lolled against my shoulder, and I finally fell to my knees in exhaustion, the sand beginning to settle. I carefully set Angel down, and patted her cheeks gently. The most I could manage was a grating whisper.

"Angel, baby, wake up. Come on, honey, we need to get back."

I realized the truth in my statement as I looked around, we were in the middle of nowhere, or so it seemed. Angel was still unconscious, so I picked her up again and looked around hopelessly. Which way to go?

Suddenly, I heard a grating voice behind me. "Max, Max, Max, has your flock finally left you?"

* * *

Yeah, I told you there would be another evil cliffie. There will probably only be one more chapter after this one... and it will have major fax. I love the next chapter - it's actually a whole heck of a lot better than the rest of this story. 


	5. Final Chapter!

Salut!

Here, my friends, is the last chapter of Lifeline. I know you're all sad, but this chapter is awesome, if I do say so myself.

So... I hope you liked it, and please review!!

And I hope I didn't kill too many reviewers with suspense... -.-

* * *

After a long time of searching, Fang still couldn't find Max. He was trying to hide his rising panic from the others. He had returned to the warehouse, rested, and searched again for who knows how long. Fang walked back into the warehouse, sat down wearily, and took a long drink of his water. 

"The wind's dying down. No sign of Max or Angel."

Gazzy had long since retired to a corner, not speaking to anyone. Iggy and Nudge were both trying to stay optimistic, and Iggy untied the knot from around Fang's waist. Nudge went and sat beside the Gasman, murmuring quiet words of comfort.

* * *

_(Previously - _

_Suddenly, I heard a grating voice behind me. "Max, Max, Max, has your flock finally left you?")_

I groaned and turned around slowly, realizing that I still had my backpack on. I had never seen the Eraser behind me, but I assumed that he was just one of Ari's troop who was sent to capture me.

"At least I have a family, unlike some people," I snarled back weakly, totally ruining the effect the words might have had. The Eraser grinned sardonically at me, then cut to the chase.

Literally.

It charged toward me, and slammed me in the right shoulder before I could react. I gasped, feeling my shoulder pop out of joint. I slung Angel onto my back with her arms around my neck, and turned and ran. The Eraser amazingly didn't run after me, but waited where he was. I assumed that he was just waiting for reinforcements. I ran on with stumbling steps, clutching Angel's hands, which were around my neck, with my good arm. I guessed that my shoulder was dislocated; it seared with pain every time I took a step. I squinted, wondering if I was hallucinating; I thought I saw a dark smudge on the horizon.

It can't be.

Suddenly feeling stupid, I spread my wings, careful not to jostle Angel too much, and used the last ounce of strength in my legs to push off the ground. Pumping my still strong wings, I rose carefully into the scorching air. My head was reeling with a mixture of exhaustion, water deprivation, and worry over my missing flock.

* * *

Fang paced worriedly by the door, stopping every so often to stare out the window. Iggy sighed with frustration, placing a hand to his forehead. "Fang, would you stop pacing? The noise is giving me a headache."

Fang ignored him, staring intently at the horizon. He suddenly threw open the door of the warehouse, calling back over the shoulder, "Wait here."

He stepped out, closing the door behind him. Fang looked up and outward intently, sure that he had seen a dark figure flying on the horizon. He waited for a few minutes, then the figure slowly came into view.

"Max!"

* * *

I had been flying for about an hour when I saw the town coming hazily into view. My shoulder was throbbing, and I would occasionally find myself dipping in the air, then catching myself and rising again. I was hoping against hope that my flock was waiting for me at the town, and that I had simply missed them in the storm.

As I approached the town slowly, I thought I was a dark figure standing in front of a building, but I couldn't be sure, my eyes had been playing tricks on me. I was almost there, and I was sure the person was real. My heart swelled with joy and relief as the person called my name.

"Max!"

I landed, stumbling toward him. He took off running, rapidly closing the distance between us. When he got close enough, I looked blearily up at him, wiping sand from my eyes.

"Hey, Fang."

I set Angel painfully on the ground, and slung the backpack off my aching shoulder. I nodded toward it, my head spinning. "There's the bandages you wanted…"

Suddenly the world tipped, and I found myself lying dizzily on the scorching sand. Fang sprang into action, yelling something back over his shoulder as he felt my forehead.

Pretty soon, I saw Iggy running over the sand toward us, and Fang pointed at Angel, saying something incomprehensible. Iggy nodded, felt around until he found Angel, and picked her up in his arms. Fang scooped me up, pulling himself to his feet.

"OK, Max, just hang on."

My head was still reeling, and I couldn't imagine how Fang could possibly keep his balance on the shifting ground. My skin felt hot and scratchy; my shoulder hurt like nothing had before.

As Fang carried me back to town, I cracked my eyes open into the glaring sun.

"Fang, flock." I managed, feeling my eyes slip closed again.

"They're fine. You and Angel were the only ones missing."

I sighed, satisfied, and let my head loll against his chest. He kicked open a door and we were greeted with surprised exclamations from the rest of my flock.

"Fang, what's wrong with them-"

"ANGEL!"

"Will they be OK-"

"Where did you find them?"

I felt Fang tense, and he said, "Guys! Just find a place for Iggy and I to set them down. Get some water and cloths."

The silence was immediate, and I was set down on a blanket with a pillow under my head.

I cracked open my eyes again, and Fang's face swam into view. My voice was still shot, as I discovered, but I croaked, "Angel?"

Fang glanced away, and I saw Angel lying prone beside me. He placed a cool, damp washcloth on my forehead. "She'll be OK, we think. What hurts?"

"Right shoulder."

Fang ripped the sleeve of my T-shirt off carefully, but not carefully enough to avoid agitating the sunburned skin of my arm. He cursed quietly, looking at my shoulder, touching it gingerly.

"Iggy, come here."

Iggy came over from where he was tending Angel, and knelt beside me. "Dislocated, I think." I rasped. Iggy nodded in agreement, his cool fingers ghosting over my swollen shoulder.

"Fang, give her something to hold onto."

"Like what?"

"Anything!"

My brain, still fuzzy, was trying to sort this out when Fang took my hand firmly in his, and Iggy slipped my shoulder back in place.

A wave of pain threatened to overtake me for a split second, and my hand convulsed, squeezing Fang's with all of my strength. Suddenly it was gone; all gone, and I almost cried in relief.

Almost.

Fang's dark eyes peered into mine. "Better?" He asked, almost smiling. I nodded, letting out a deep breath and settling down into the blanket.

I shut my eyes for a second and then took a deep breath, heaving myself up. No dizzy waves crashed into my skull, and I rubbed my temples, pleased.

"Angel." I crawled over to where she was laying and examined her anxiously. "Is she OK?"

She was sleeping, her face red and lips chapped. Her breaths came evenly and normally, and she seemed to be resting peacefully.

"She'll be fine, Max," Iggy said again. "We just need to stop in a store and get some aloe or something; both of you two will be feeling that sunburn pretty badly by tomorrow."

I nodded, realizing that arguing wouldn't help either of us get any better.

I noticed Fang looking at me with an indecipherable expression on his face. The only thing that I could discern from his stony features was that he was not happy. He had been scared, I realized with a jolt. And when Fang gets scared, he gets mad as heck.

Greaaat.

"Fang. You, me, outside. Iggy, watch the kids, will you?" I said, standing up.

Iggy felt the tension between the two of us and shook his head, muttering to himself. "Yeah, yeah, go fight then make up."

I ignored him and led the way outside. Once I heard the door slam shut behind Fang, I turned around, arms crossed. "OK. Get it out of the way."

Fang glared at me. "Do you realize what you are doing to the flock?" he growled.

My arms fell to my sides as my jaw dropped in shock.

"Yeah!" I managed. "Keeping them from dying."

"No." Fang stepped forward. "Every time something like this happens, they worry so much about you that they can barely function. What do you think would happen to us if we finally lost you for good?" His eyes snapped at me.

"You would survive!" I grated back. "That's what I've been trying to do all along. Help you survive."

Fang snorted. "We're not just surviving. This -" he spun halfway around, upraised hands gesturing to the abandoned warehouse, concrete walls, abandoned streets, "-this is our life." His fingers raised to poke me stiffly in the shoulder and I tried not to wince as my shirt grated against my sunburned skin. "And you are our lifeline." Fang's arms shot up and he shoved my shoulders, making me take a half step back.

I gaped. "Yeah, sure, whatever." I snapped, shoving him back on the last word.

Fang's eyes darkened and his voice was low and intense. "You didn't see the Gasman's expression when we realized that you were missing. You didn't see Angel fretting over you every time you had a brain explosion." Fang punctuated every word with a step forward. "You didn't see Iggy looking completely lost when you weren't around to have everything organized for him."

Fang took a deep breath before continuing, his eyes closing at the memory. "You didn't see Nudge's face when I walked into the warehouse, carrying you limp in my arms. Heck," he ran his hand through his dark hair in exasperation and frustration, "you didn't see me making a mess of trying to lead while you're not here."

I tried to speak, but Fang carried right on going. "You have got to realize what happens when you take risks." His voice was steadily rising again. I pulled my arms around me as if to protect myself from the harsh words. "You are the only one that holds the entire flock together! Without you, Angel, Nudge, and Gazzy would be in an adoption center. Iggy would be completely lost. I would probably be alone or dead, you've saved me so many times."

I winced at the last part. I turned away so that Fang wouldn't be able to see the pain in my eyes. With an exclamation under his breath, Fang grabbed my shoulder and pulled me around. Before I knew it, I was pinned between him and the wall and being kissed thoroughly, his rough hands cupping my face. I sagged against the warehouse. I could feel the heat radiating from Fang and surrounding me.

Fang pulled back, his narrow chest heaving as his dark eyes searched my face through the curtain of hair that fell in his eyes.

"Now do you understand?"

I nodded and looked down. "I never realized.." I trailed off, my voice quiet. I glanced back up at him. "You have no idea how shocked I am right now." I said, shaking my head and laughing a little bit.

"Why?"

"I'm not even sure."

"Max..." Fang hesitated, this kind of thing being way out of his comfort zone. He steeled himself. "I could help you."

I looked at him - really looked. He stood there in front of me, his tall frame standing easily with his hands in his pockets. His dark blue jeans were ripped and torn on the hems where he stepped on them all day because they were so long. His black long sleeved t-shirt was pushed up to his elbows, showing his strong forearms. His sleek black hair fell carelessly down on his neck and strong shoulders and into his eyes. Dark eyes looked out from his tanned face with no expression, his high cheekbones casting shadows on his face. A knot of muscle stood out on his jaw where he flexed it unconsciously as he waited for me to make my response.

The way I saw it, I had two choices. One: I laughed it off, denying that I needed help, and everything stayed the same as it was. Two: I accepted his help and comfort and allowed him to see my fears and weaknesses.

Fang shifted slightly.

I made my decision.

I nodded weakly, and he sighed heavily. I stepped forward tentatively, and his arms folded around me securely. I rested my cheek against his warm chest, feeling the softness of his shirt. Fang's chin rested gently on the top of my head, his thumbs rubbing small circles on my back. At the moment, I didn't care about anything else. I didn't care that we were standing outside in the desert in Arizona, I didn't care that there were probably a squillion Erasers tracking us, I didn't care that I was an avian-human hybrid teenager on the run. I finally relaxed.

Iggy banged on the window from inside. "Oi! You two break it up and get in here! Angel's awake!"

Fang squeezed my hand quickly, his eyes reading my expression. He grinned at me a little bit sheepishly, and I had to laugh.

"Come on, let's go see Angel."

* * *

Come on, you know you liked it. Unless you don't like fax. In which case you don't like it. Too bad! 

That description of Fang is how I picture him all of the time. :) I wasn't sure if his hair is black or dark dark brown.. but I like black better so I went with that.

Review, s'il vous plait, mes amis! Je t'adore!


	6. Epilogue Important AN

Ok, guys.

I feel pretty bad about putting this up, but I'm getting kind of freaked. I know a lot of you have been reviewing on this story - and you have no idea how happy that makes me. So I kept telling you that chapter five would be the major fax chapter, the resolution, and you were all excited and asking for the chapter. Which is great. Problem is, I've gotten a total of 74 hits and 7 reviews in about two days for the last much waited on chapter, which just doesn't happen on FF. Someone always reads it and/or reviews it, even if it's only two words.

I'm really trying not to make this sound like I'm mad because people aren't reviewing - I'm truly concerned that you just never read it. So please don't flame this saying "You just want more reviews, nah nah nah.." or anything like that.

I noticed when I published chapter five that I never saw Lifeline at the top of the list - and wondered if it ever was. Maybe it wasn't? But I'm hoping that this helps a little bit.

Please, please, read chapter five and review it if you have been following this story. I really appreciate this, and to apologize for putting up this incredibly long authors note, I'm adding a little bit for an epilogue.

* * *

_(Before Fang and Max went outside- Iggy POV)_

I crouched down next to Angel with Fang and Max.

"Is she ok?" Max asked again.

""She'll be fine, Max. We just need to stop in a store and get some aloe or something; both of you two will be feeling that sunburn pretty badly by tomorrow."

Max sighed and nodded. She relaxed for a moment, then I heard her (don't ask me how) shoot a slightly furtive glance at Fang. With good reason, too, even I could feel the tension, anger, and suppressed fear rolling off of him in waves. She sighed in resignation, and I heard her tshirt rustling as she shifted and stood up.

"Fang. You, me, outside. Iggy, watch the kids, will you?"

I smirked internally.

I nodded, attempting (not very successfully) to keep the grin off of my face. I shook my head. "Yeah, yeah, go fight then make up."

Max ignored me (rather pointedly, I might add) and stalked her Max-like way to the door, Fang storming behind her.

This ought to be good.

As the door slammed behind them, I sat back on my heels with a grin in Gazzy and Nudge's general direction.

"Just wait for the show, oh ye Maxlets."

I heard their voices raising; Max's getting shriller (not that she would admit it) as she got more angry. Fang's was low and growling.

I winced for Max. That voice is not a good sign. Trust me. I've lived in the same house with him and a few hundred bombs for too many years to not know when to beat a hasty retreat.

Nudge's voice sounded small. "Are Max and Fang fighting?"

"No. Well, yes, but they'll get over it," I answered, shaking my head at their antics. _Those two need to get it together._

I heard blankets rustling in front of me, and Angel swallowed slightly. "Max?" she called plaintively.

I jumped over to her, clapping my hand over her mouth carefully.

"Snap the trap for a bit, kiddo, Max and Fang are having an important talk."

"Talk?" Angel frowned as she heard the voices outside, and then her eyes unfocused as she flipped through their minds quickly. "They sound mad, but Max feels sad and Fang is..." Her voice sounded puzzled. "I can't tell what Fang is."

I chuckled. "Good, because I don't know if I'd want to know what Fang's feeling at the moment. Well," I pondered, "I would. You don't, however, so why don't you just hang out here for a bit with Nudge and the Gasman and me, and we'll wait until they're done."

"Okay," Angel sighed, crawling into my lap and leaning against my chest. Her small arms wound themselves around my neck and she laid her head down on my neck with a small sigh. I patted her on the head gently.

I heard the voices outside raise even higher for a moment. Then, something thumped against the wall, and there was silence.

I just grinned.

After a long moment, the voices started up again. Max sounded a lot different, and Fang's voice had dropped to a low rumble.

Pretty soon there was silence again, and I sighed and stood up, Angel still in my arms. "Ok, time to crash the party." I rapped sharply on the window. "Oi, you two break it up and get in here! Angel's awake!"

They stepped in the door slowly, and I couldn't help but snicker to myself. I deposited Angel into Max's arms, and sauntered over to Fang who was leaning against the wall.

"Nice work, Romeo," I muttered into his ear.

Let me tell you: Fang punches_ hard._

* * *

Read above author's note!!_  
_


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